Stars swarm "Bodyguards and Assassins"

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Following the box-office records recently set by "The Founding of a Republic" and "Sound of Wind", another blockbuster is ready to hit Chinese cinemas. "Bodyguards and Assassins" is an action thriller set in the years leading up to the revolution of 1911.

The revolution, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, overthrew the Qing Dynasty. A star-studded press conference was held recently in Beijing to promote the much anticipated spectacle.

The story of "Bodyguards and Assassins" takes place on October the 15th, 1906. The setting is the island of Hong Kong, which was then administered by Britain as a result of the Nanjing Treaty,an unequal treaty imposed on the Qing government by the British government in 1842 after the Opium War.

During a battle that unfolds over 24 hours, eight volunteer bodyguards repulsed the ferocious assaults of a formidable army of 500 well-trained assassins and succeeded in escorting Sun Yat-sun, a forerunner of the Chinse democratic revolution, back to the safety in Guangzhou city.

Preparation for "Bodyguards and Assassins" started five years ago, and 150-million yuan have gone into the undertaking, including nearly 50-million yuan and eight months time to construct of a replica of Hong Kong's urban core in 1906. The film features performances by many of the top actors in Hong Kong. Among them are nine previous winners for Best Actor and one for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards.